This article first appeared in my local newspaper’s Master Gardener column in October 2023.
Walking around my garden on these gorgeous fall days, it’s a good time to evaluate my garden performance for the year. Five plants shining in my garden right now in September are on my must-have list for next summer. Two are annuals grown from seed, two are perennial herbs that overwinter well, and the fifth is a surprisingly colorful shrub. Any guesses what my late season favorites
are?
#1 Torch Tithonia (Mexican sunflower)
My number one is ‘Torch’ Tithonia, Mexican sunflower. Make butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and your neighbors happy when you grow tithonia in your garden. This stunning sunflower towers over everything in my late summer garden ~ it’s at least 8 feet tall. For this reason, be sure to plant tithonia in the back of the garden or in areas where it won’t block other plants. Direct sow tithonia in spring after all danger of frost in spring. You can sow more seeds in your garden throughout the summer. Tithonia likes well-draining soil. You can improve your soil by amending with compost when planting.
#2 Cardinal Climber Vine (Cypress vine)
#2 is ‘Cardinal Climber’ vine, also called Cypress vine. I’m told I may regret this choice next year as it has a reputation for freely reseeding, but I have plenty of room and it’s such a fun plant. The flowers are small and deep red, and draw in hummingbirds and other pollinators. I grew this vine in a planter with a trellis, and directly sown in the soil around my mailbox. Cypress vine likes routine watering and is slow to bloom. But once it’s established, it’s not much trouble.
Tip: The seed company notes that all parts of cardinal climbing vine are poisonous if ingested.
#3 Pineapple Sage
#3 is pineapple sage. In spring, look for this herb in garden centers and at plant sales. It’s a woody-stemmed perennial in our area, but you’ve got to have patience with it. My experience with pineapple sage is that it grows slowly all summer long, then in late August it takes off like a rocket. My pineapple sage plant in October engulfs a 4’ X 4’ raised garden bed. Its red plumes invite hummers, skippers, bees and butterflies to drink up before the cold weather comes.
#4 Mexican Tarragon (Mexican Mint Marigold)
My #4 pick is Mexican tarragon. This nondescript herb is a foliage plant in the garden in summer before exploding with petite yellow flowers in fall. It’s often treated as an annual in our area, but in my sunny perennial garden, it returns every year, including this post-polar vortex year. Not bad for a plant sold as “hardy in zones 8 to 10.” Right?
Plant tarragon in spring, in well-draining soil amended with organic compost. I prune it back in late winter and it gets a shot of organic fertilizer in spring.
#5 Beautyberry (Callicarpa)
#5 is Beautyberry (‘Callicarpa’). Callicarpa means beautiful fruit, an appropriate name given its bright purple fruit that emerges in late summer. (You may be able to find beautyberry cultivars with white and pink berries in garden centers). There are American native beautyberries and Chinese beautyberries and I have both in my garden. Native beautyberry is hardy in zones 7 to 11. In our zone 7b/8 area, we’re in the upper range of winter hardiness for the native. The Chinese beautyberry has more cold tolerance. It grows best in zones 5 to 8. Shrubs average 4 to 6 feet high and wide, but given the right conditions, can reach heights of 8 to 10 feet.
I plant beautyberry shrubs on the ends of flower borders where they can arch over and show off their bright purple fruit. Plant beautyberry in spring or fall and amend the soil with organic compost when planting.
Evaluating your successes and failures in the garden each year helps you make a better plan next year. Take a few minutes to walk your garden this fall and make notes of what went well. Use the notes to plan your garden for next year.
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